The Queen’s cold and cruel voice echoed through the marble room. “We shall now begin the trial of the heretic, Peter Pendragon.

“Four days ago, on the Isles of Man, the heretic encountered the Knights of the Round on patrol and attacked them using his Demonic powers. This action drew the attention of the Angels, and the heretic was quickly subdued. Peter Pendragon, was the information true?”

Of course, the information was completely fabricated, or rather, painfully one-sided. However, in front of the confidence and pressure his opposition exuded, the boy in question couldn’t help but instinctively shiver before her presence.

Calm down, Peter, he thought to himself, taking a deep breath. And another. And another. Yet, he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking.

His instinct told him to deny the claim, but his mind thought otherwise. Denying would surely be the obvious choice, but what if it was a trap? However, if he didn’t deny the claim, wouldn’t it be admitting the problem right from the get-go?

“I… have done nothing of the sort.” In the end, Peter could only think of the obvious answer lay down in front of him. “Your men attacked me first, not the other way around.”

As if waiting for the answer to come, a conniving smile appeared on the woman’s face.

“You said that my knights attacked you first, but the Knights of the Round is a force meant to protect the people of Britain first and foremost. Even if I took your words as true, why would they attack you for no reason? Remember, you and they are naught but strangers.”

It was indeed a trap, and a cleverly sprung one.

The Queen never tried to deny Peter’s claim. In fact, she invited him to counter with the obvious case of “he said, she said”. However, while the boy had nothing to back up his claim, she had the ultimate trump card – the very values and ideals that had been rooted deep within the people for thousands of years.

The Knights of the Round Table was a symbol of “justice”. In its long, long reign of existence, Britain’s monarchs had never done anything that could be considered detrimental to its people – after all, they even had angels as a key part of their political power, and only mere humans would make mistakes in their judgment. Thus, the Knights of the Round Table was impeccable, never before wrong since their inception. But it would then beg the question: if the Round was the infallible sense of “justice”, then wouldn’t that make its target inherently “evil”? And if that target was “evil”, then why did they need any other reason to engage and eliminate it?

Such was the reasoning behind the Queen’s accusation. It was an ultimate challenge – how do you plan to change the mindset of an entire nation, an entire generation of people, to prove your innocence?

However, fighting against her wasn’t Peter alone.

“Your Majesty, allow me to have a few words.” Bea, who had been quiet until now, slightly raised her hand.

“You are pardoned.”

As she received the Queen’s permission, the princess continued. “The reason that the Knights were dispatched on the Isles was due to my asking of them, telling them to apprehend any suspicious individual that would appear around that time. The defendant was out for a night’s walk before encountering the knights, which caused a misunderstanding to occur. In fear for his safety, the defendant had no choice but to retaliate with force. It was purely an act of self-defense spurred by over-caution on the knights’ end, therefore neither party should be held accountable for the offense.”

Her counter was simple – she didn’t need to change the people’s mindset. After all, her mother wasn’t the only one with power available to her. At least, within the borders of the isles, she was the one with the most impactful voice, and thus, whenever there was a case of mobilizing the Round, it wasn’t the Queen, but Bea herself that the Round had to answer too.

But that wasn’t all. Contrary to her mother’s bold and prideful remark, Bea’s claim was made in humility. The princess herself knew this – her reasoning was tantamount to admitting that she was the one at fault. If it was an oversight from the princess, then true to Bea’s words, neither party should be responsible for their actions. However, even Bea wouldn’t be facing too much trouble. Of course, the blunder was on her, but she lacked the experience of a true ruler, and no matter how talented she might be, ultimately, mistakes were inevitable.

It was an ideal that directly went against the Queen’s belief. The Round might be just, but individual humans are not infallible, and that includes us on the throne.

Faced with the claim, the ever-cold Queen Elisabeth continued without a lick of hesitation or waver.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Very well. Then I would like to confirm the matter with key witnesses. Calling the representative of the Knights of the Round.”

On the left side, a middle-aged man with a familiar beard stood up.

“State your name and verdict,” continued the Queen.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the man lightly bowed. “I am Bakere, a Knight of the Round assigned as her Highness Beatrice’s guard, disguising as her surrogate family during her time on the Isles of Man. Her Highness has indeed ordered me to apprehend any suspicious individuals at night whenever I pretend to be absent from the household. However, I only turned my attention to the heretic because he was violating a direct order from Her Highness to not leave the house at all costs. As our conflict escalated, the heretic showed signs of Demonic powers, and as such I had no choice but to fully eliminate him.”

Bea paled at the accusation. It wasn’t supposed to be an official order, but a guarantee she only hinted towards her most trusted retainer, in the case that things went horribly wrong. The fact that Bakere, who was supposed to be oblivious to the information, knew about it could only mean one thing.

“First Princess, do you have any objections?” Meanwhile, her mother’s voice echoed beside her, not letting the girl have time to organize her thoughts.

“I did not order the defendant to leave the house. That information is false.”

“Let’s ask for another witness. Squire?”

Upon being called, Pedro’s whole body shivered in fear. Just one look at it, and Bea realized she had already lost. She had an inkling when Pedro disappeared on her after their dungeon encounter and showed up now with injuries, but she didn’t expect her mother to force her hands this hard.

The boy could only mutter nonsense, but that was enough to turn the case into a lost cause:

“I… I don’t… I mean… The thing is…”

“Speak up,” the Queen glared daggers at the dark-skinned boy. “Let it be known that you shall not be punished, as long as what you state is the truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Though her words were meant to be reassuring, her tone and especially her eyes were anything but. That was not encouragement, it was a genuine threat. “Say your lines or pay the price,” that was the Queen’s true message to the quivering boy.

[Leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, doesn’t it?] Amidst the tension so high-strung that one could cut with a knife, an ethereal voice sounded for only a single boy to hear.

You tell me about it. Peter voiced his thoughts.

[I told you before, didn’t I? The Bedryants are a twisted bunch. They have their own brand of “justice” that they wouldn’t yield to anyone, as well as would do anything to make sure that it is “right”. Best be careful with the little lass too; who knows when she’ll stab you in the back.]

She would never.

[People don’t change that easily, boy. Sooner or later, you’ll have to face it. The moment when her Bedryant mask falls off.]

While the boy’s mind was having his own fight, outside, his friend was already giving up on his.

“I–It’s the truth… Sir Bakere’s… words, I mean…” Pedro struggled to say his line. At a glance, anyone could figure out that he was forced into the role. However, who was there exactly to call it out, when it was the Queen herself that called for it? The rest of the courtroom was on her side, while Bea didn’t have any proof to back her claim.

So, those eight years we spent together as friends and family didn’t matter after all…

[What else do you expect?] Balam chided at the boy’s wallow. [It’s a miracle that the kid was able to stand up for you as much as he did that night already. The Princess too, look at her face. She’s trying, I give her that. But she’s about to learn a valuable lesson in her life.]

Meanwhile, the Queen continued her razor-like words:

“And there you have it, Princess. Two eyewitnesses have spoken against you. And if that is not enough, we’ve even found the heretic’s motivation.

“On the same night eight years ago…”

The words sent Peter’s eyes to a shock. He knew what she was talking about, and never in his life did he expect that card to be brought out right here, right now.

“A couple was apprehended due to incitement of a rebellion, using Demonic powers in the form of the sign of heresy invoked on the Isles of Man. The couple was soon put to execution for treason, but their only other family member – their son, who was still a child, was spared because of his unknowing of the matter. The couple’s names are… Clyde and Nora Pendragon.”

The boy clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. That little stunt of her was tantamount to admitting the atrocity that she caused to his family, but the Queen didn’t care for it one bit. It was a direct slap to his face, as if daring the boy to do something about it, when the truth was already dangling in front of him.

“And thus, the boy’s motives are clear. To get revenge on his parents, he, too, had come to the power of darkness. As he was about to receive it, the knights detected his actions, and thus he had no choice but to flee the scene. When prompted with apprehension, he fought back, releasing the Demonic power within him.”

The accusation was, once again, fabricated. A “story” that was only woven to fit her narrative. But the matter of fact was still that it made sense, and thus, it was all that she needed to drive anyone against her into a corner.

Bea’s face paled as her eyes shifted around, frantically trying to find anything that she could grab hold of as a counter. Pedro lowered his head in defeat, his teary eyes red with remorse.

“I hereby ask the heretic: do you have any words to defend yourself?” The Queen’s voice echoed for possibly the last time in the trial.

[Well, this is why we have a plan B, right?]

I hate the fact that you’re right, but yes. This is still within our expectations.

There was only one thing left that the boy could do.

“Do you know what time it is?” With a firm voice, he finally asked.

“I beg your pardon?” No one in the courtroom could understand his intentions. None, but a single soul residing inside his mind.

With a smile on his face, the boy declared:

“It’s time for a revolution.”

A clicking sound echoed through the room. There was a reason why he had the invisible dagger out ever since he was being led from his cell, and finally, his effort had paid off.

The chains on Peter’s hand fell to the marble floor. Along with it, in his palm, a shining light filled the room.

“Reveal yourself, Carnwennan!”